Process of treating leather and apparatus therefor



Ag. 19, 1930. J, A. mLLlcAN PROCESS OF TREATING LEATHER AND APPARATUS THEREFOR FiyeiAprl 4, 192e 2 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEK Aug. 19, 1930. J. A. MILLcAN PROCESS OF TREATING LEATHER AND APPAl-ATUS THEREFOR Filed April' 4, 192e zsneets-sneet 2 v l INVENToR.

BY mao;

A TTORNE Y.

.l apparatus for carrying out the essy and themethod of its use;

6 0 out the process is s Patented Aug. 19,

PATENT FFICE JAMES HILLIGAN, F DETROIT, MICHIGAN IPpROCESS 0F TBEATING LEATHER AND APPARATUS THEREFOB Application led 4 'he present invention relates to the manu-V facture of leather and particularly to the step in the process in' which the leather is dried after the tanning process. In the manufacture of leather, 1t well known that unless'steps are taken to prevent,

shrinkage during drying, the tanned skin" will shrink greatly in area and amongthe objects of the present invention is the prevention of such shrinkage.

Another object is apparatus means for preventing shrinkage which shall be applicable to different sizes of skins Without. adjust,- ment. Y

Other objects will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon reference to the following description and the accompanying drawing, in 4which Figure ,1, is a vertical section showing the present proc- Figure `2, is a .fragmentary the apparatus of Figure 1;

Figure 3,'shows a detail of the construcend view of tion and is a section on line S--of Figure 1;

Figure 4:, is' a partial view of a modifica tion of the apparatus, and

Figure 5, is a diagrammatic plan view showlng one feature of the invention.

Figure 6 is a, plan view of a modified forni of the apparatus, and

Figure 7 is a sectional view thereof.

In the prior Patent No. 1,659,957, issued Feb. 21, 1928 to the present inventor, there is described and claimed a method of carrying out a process similar to the present one in which advantage is taken of the fact that atmospheric pressure on wet leather set out ona suitable surface will cause the leather to adhere closely to the surface, provided air is prevented from entering under the ed es of the leather to neutralize the effect of t e atmospheric pressure on the 'side away from the surface. f

The present process `is an improvement on that of the patent, in that the wet le'ather is held in close contact with the setting out sur face throuvhout its area as around its edges.

In the drawingi1 apparatus for carrying own to consist of the set- 192s. serial no. 257,178.

ting out boards or plates 10 with pieces of leather on each face thereof and intermediatemembers indicated as a whole by the numeral 11. These intermediate members 11 consist of frame members 12 of such size 55 as to be substantially co-extensive with the 'setting out boards 10,'so that the boards 10 of a wire screen. Throughout, the area of the diaphragm 14, pegs or rods 15 will be'secured which pegs or rods will be of suicient length to extend from near one of the plates 10 to near-the next plate 10 when the elements arestacked as in Flgure 1.

Each of the pegs or rods 15 may be rounded at,itsiend s or providedwith a suitable -foot, such as the soft rubber thimble indi-l catedat 16.

The' over all length of the. pegs A15 should 7 5 be such that they will-press lightly against the leather set out on 'the plates 10, one on top Y of plate 10 with the other on the bottom of the next, as shown in Figure 1. It will be I' understood, of course, that each plate 10 will 80 have the leather set out on each side'except Y for the bottom and top plates of the stack.

` In building up a stack of these devices, it may be found necessary to provide a spacer in. order that the sagging of the central portion ofplates 10 may not cause too great a pressure on the leather by the ends of pegs 15.

In making the members 11, the preferred method of holding the pegs 1,5 in place consists in forming the pegs with a'pair ofbeads 21 near their center portion and thrusting the pegsjthrough the mesh of the wire screen until the -wires of the latter lie between the beads 21, as shown in Figures 1 and 3. This will hold the pegs in place and in a position at right angles lto the plane of the screen.

As indicated in Figure 5, the pegs will be so placed in' the member 11 that the central portion thereofwill contain fewer pegs than the area around the central portion. This` 16e will beheld against the plates 10 ata large number of points throughout its area and lespecially near its edges.

Instead of using pegs 15, it is also proposed to use a corrugated fairly stiff wire screen, such as is shown at 111.1L in Figure 4.

In this figure, the frame members 12 will he substantially identical with the frame members in Figure l and have similar openings p 13 to permit circulation of air.

i' pressing against the leather 20.

' contact with the leather to give the desired I In the modified form of apparatus shown in Figures 6 and 7,.'the setting out board is shown at 10 with the leather at 2O 'set out thereon in the same.manne'r as above. The holding device however is somewhat different and Aconsists 'of flexible strips 30'secured at their ends in any suitable manner to cross pieces or headers 31. These strips are preferably of spring material and normally bowed slightly downward as indicated in Fi re 7, while the cross pieces or headers 31 willl be provided with .suitable Ameans such as hooks 32' adapted to hook-under tha edges of board 10 to hold the'device in place Strips 30 will.preferablyr` be grouped in threesasho'wn and each three will have a pluralityV of short narrow slats or strips 33 secured-across them on their undersides to plurality of points of pressure.

by an edge.

' YThis form of the device will of course not permit stacking but isdes'igned to be hung Now having describedtheinvention and the preferred form of. embodiment, it is to be understood that lthe said invention is to be limited, not to the specific details herein set forth and illustrated, but only by the scope of the 'claims which. follow,

leather upon asetting out' surface and applying and maintaining pressure thereon. at

amultiplicity of points throughout Aits area and maintaining said drying period. A

- 2.1The hereindescribed method of treatpressure during. the

' ing leather which comprises setting out wet vleather upon a. setting out'surface and maintaining said leather in close Contact with said surface throughout its -areaduring the drying period.

multiplicityjof points throughout its area and maintaining said pressure during the drying period, while permitting free circulation of air to the surfaceof said leather.

4. The herein described method of treating leather which comprises setting out wet leather upon a settingpout surface and maintaining said leatherin closev contact. with said surface throughout itsarea during the drying period While permitting free circulation of air to the surface of said leather.

5. Means for drying leather comprising a setting out plate adapted to have Wet leather set out thereon, a frame thereon of substantially the same dimensions'as said plate, a diaphragm in' said frame, and la multiplicity of pegs extending through `said diaphragm and adapted each to exert light pressure onrthewet leather on said'setting out plate.

46. The herein described method of treat' ing leather whichcomprises setting out wet leather upon a setting out surface' and malntaining said leather in close Contact with said Vsurface throughout its area during the drying period by mechanical application of pressure.

7. The herein-described method of treating leather which comprises setting out Wet A close Contact with said surface throughout its area during the drying period while perH mitting free circulation of air to the surface of said leather.`

. 'JAMES A. MILLICAN.

1. The herein described niethodof treat- Ving leather, which comprises setting out wet liu 

